Historians Blame Van Gogh’s Hearing Loss on Gauguin

Though Vincent Van Gogh is universally recognized as the tortured and crazy painter who sliced off his own ear, he may also be a liar. A new study suggests the disturbed Dutch artist made up the story to protect Paul Gauguin, a fellow painter and object of his affection, who cut it off with a sword during a quarrel between the two.

Gauguin, an excellent fencer, was planning to leave Van Gogh’s “Yellow House” in Arles, southwestern France, after an unhappy stay.